“They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders' poison is under their lips. Selah.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 140:3 Mean?
"They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders' poison is under their lips. Selah." David describes his enemies' speech as venomous — tongues sharpened like a snake's and poison concealed behind their lips. The imagery connects speech to the original serpent in Eden: the tongue that deceives, the words that carry hidden death. Paul quotes this verse in Romans 3:13 as part of his indictment of universal human sinfulness.
The word "sharpened" (shanan — to whet, to sharpen, to make keen) implies deliberate preparation. Their tongues aren't accidentally harmful. They've been honed. Practiced. Made precise. The poison isn't accidental either — it's been stored under the lips, ready to deploy at the right moment.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Whose words have felt like hidden poison — sounding helpful but doing damage over time?
- 2.Where do you sharpen your own tongue deliberately — crafting words designed to wound?
- 3.How does the Selah (pause) help you recognize venomous speech before the poison takes effect?
- 4.What does Paul's use of this verse (all humanity has this poison) say about your own speech?
Devotional
Sharpened tongues. Adder's poison under their lips. David describes speech that's been weaponized with the precision of a snake's fang.
The sharpening is deliberate. These aren't careless words from someone who speaks without thinking. These are words that have been honed — practiced, refined, made precise enough to deliver maximum damage. The tongue has been whetted like a blade on a stone. The person behind it knows exactly what they're doing and has spent time making sure their words cut as deeply as possible.
The poison is hidden. Under the lips. Not visible. Not obvious. The words sound reasonable — maybe even kind — until they're inside you. And then the venom does its work. Poisonous speech doesn't announce itself. It's stored behind a smile, behind flattery, behind words that sound helpful until you realize they're destroying you from the inside.
David connects these enemies to the original serpent — the one in Eden whose speech was sophisticated, appealing, and lethal. The tongue that sharpens itself for destruction is the oldest weapon in the enemy's arsenal. It predates swords, predates armies, predates every physical weapon humanity has invented. The first attack in human history was verbal: "Did God really say...?"
Selah. Pause. Because recognizing venomous speech requires attention. The poison is hidden. The sharpening happened in private. The delivery is smooth. If you don't pause long enough to test the words — to check them against truth, to notice the slow burn of venom working through your system — you won't recognize the serpent until the damage is done.
Paul uses this verse to describe all of humanity: the poison of asps is under all our lips. The capacity for venomous speech isn't limited to David's enemies. It's in every mouth. Including yours.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent,.... Which Kimchi says it does before it bites. Aristotle (i) observes,…
They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent - Compare the notes at Psa 64:3. The idea here is, that since the…
In this, as in other things, David was a type of Christ, that he suffered before he reigned, was humbled before he was…
They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent The lying tongue is elsewhere compared to the sword or arrow which…
Cross References
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